Jan. 29, 2014 12:21 p.m. | Oak Creek — An Oak Creek man could face felony charges after he tried to elude a Wisconsin State Patrol trooper who pulled him over for suspicion of drunken driving on Interstate 94 early Tuesday morning.

According to a Wisconsin State Patrol news release:

The 39-year-old man was pulled over at the northbound Ryan Road ramp on I-94 for suspected drunken driving after he was seen driving 10 mph without headlights on and weaving all over the roadway about 3:30 a.m.

The trooper informed the man he wanted him to perform field sobriety tests on him, and when a Milwaukee County deputy arrived to assist, the man started his vehicle and drove off.

A short pursuit ensued before the trooper was able to successfully conduct a precision immobilization technique, also known as a PIT maneuver, to stop the man's vehicle. No one was injured.

Jan. 29, 2014 8:27 a.m. | Oak Creek — One savvy resident who refused to be conned realized quickly that the caller was trying to scam her when he changed his story several times during a botched attempt to steal her identity and money.

According to the Oak Creek police log:

A woman called police about 4:50 p.m. Jan. 23 to report she had just received a scam telephone call from a private number.

The caller, a man with a Middle Eastern or Indian accent, stated he was with the Internal Revenue Service and that she and her husband owed back taxes.

When the woman denied owing taxes and questioned the caller further about who he actually was, the caller changed his story and told her he was from Publisher's Clearing House, and that he was actually calling her to tell her she just won a Mercedes Benz and $242,000.

Jan. 28, 2014 8:42 p.m. | Franklin — A special Common Council meeting will be held Thursday to review a proposed professional baseball stadium at The Rock Sports Complex.

Michael Zimmerman, owner of The Rock and Zimmerman Ventures, filed a concept review application with the Department of City Development on Tuesday for the proposed baseball stadium.

"I started playing around with the idea for a stadium about a year ago," Zimmerman said. "Now, I think it's time to put the pedal to the metal on it."

The 20- to 30-acre stadium, designed to hold 2,500 to 3,000 seats, would cost between $7 million and $11 million to develop. Zimmerman anticipates that the stadium could be complete in the spring of 2015, in time for the baseball season.

"I think many communities would literally kill to have that proposal given to them," Franklin Mayor Tom Taylor said. "My first response (to the proposal) was, 'Is this Christmas?' I'm very, very excited."

The proposed ordinance would have amended city code to make public schools exempt from impact fees tied to development projects — an issue that was raised after construction began on two new facilities at Franklin High School.

The construction of a new academic space and an auditorium, a $34 million project, resulted in about $100,000 worth of impact fees being charged.

Impact fees were first implemented in 1995 to ensure new development pays its fair share of the cost of the off-site infrastructure that serves it.

"It is our belief that when the current ordinance was created there was no intention for this rule to be applied to the school district," Superintendent Steve Patz wrote in a Jan. 13 letter to the council. "The current ordinance states that any new development(s) applies to business and residential properties, to which the school district is identified as neither of these."

Jan. 27, 2014 2:17 p.m. | Police warned two teenagers after their father declined to press charges for using his credit card to purchase Facebook games Jan. 17.

According to the South Milwaukee police report:

A resident told police Jan. 17 that his 14- and 15-year-old sons used his credit card to purchase Facebook games.

The father "did not want to press charges against either of them, because he would end up paying the fines." He instead asked an officer to speak to his sons, whom he also suspected were using marijuana.

The officer "explained the charges that would be brought if this activity continued. Both admitted using their father's credit card without his consent and apologized."

Jan. 24, 2014 8:57 a.m. | A 42-year-old man was arrested after he called the Franklin Police Department on Jan. 17 claiming his vehicle had been stolen, but police found it in a ditch with footprints leading from it to the man's home.

According to the Franklin police report:

The man called police at 2:15 a.m. Jan. 17 claiming his 2004 Dodge Durango had been stolen from his driveway.

Before he made the report, police had received a report that a Durango was in a ditch in the 2900 block of West Puetz Road.

Police followed footprints around the vehicle toward the man's home in the 8500 block of South 35th Street. They arrested him for a probation violation and filing a false police report.

Jan. 21, 2014 10:28 p.m. | The big plays were there tonight for the Oak Creek girls basketball team as the Knights finally pulled out a close win over a major opponent, when they upset top-ranked in D2 state Pius XI Tuesday night.

Among the key plays were:

*Katie Finn's four 3-pointers and 14 total points, including a critical bomb at the start of the fourth quarter that put Oak Creek up 30-28.

"We've talked about no matter how many posts you have, people are going to shut them down from time-to-time so have to hit a shot from the outside," said coach Steve Hluchnik. "Katie just came up big for us tonight. Those shots were huge."

*Then there was the beautiful give and go pass that Finn hit post Stephanie Kostowicz with at the 1:54 mark. Kostowicz made the shot, was fouled and converted the free throw for a 37-35 lead. Oak Creek would never trail again.

Jan. 21, 2014 4:07 p.m. | Oak Creek — A man was banned from a grocery store after he got angry and punched a self-checkout machine during the early morning hours of Jan. 14.

According to the Oak Creek police report:

Police responded to Woodman's, 8131 S. Howell Ave., after an employee reported that an older man with a beard who was wearing a star-spangled headband and a flannel shirt was yelling at employees and had punched a machine about 2:45 a.m. Jan. 14.

Officers spoke to the employee, who said the man was attempting to check out his groceries at a self-checkout machine when he got upset because the machine wouldn't accept his cash.

He then proceeded to yell at the machine and the manager, and ended up punching the screen on the self-checkout station, causing it to shatter.

Jan. 21, 2014 8:50 a.m. | A 39-year-old Oak Creek man was cited for following too closely after he hit another vehicle and then got out of his car and yelled at the other driveer Jan. 9.

According to the South Milwaukee police report:

A 31-year-old Milwaukee driver was making a left turn from South Chicago Avenue onto Drexel Boulevard about 6 p.m. Jan. 9. The Oak Creek driver "had been traveling at a high rate of speed behind him to make the yellow light."

The Milwaukee driver pulled to the right to let the Oak Creek driver pass, when he "passed him on the left, then turned his car in front of him, striking his vehicle." The Oak Creek man "then exited his vehicle, came up to his door, and began to yell and swear at him." He was cited for following too closely.

The purchase of the 164,800-square-foot facility was finalized Jan. 10, said Pat Boelter, chief marketing officer for Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin.

"We're excited now that it's a done deal," Boelter said. "We'll be working diligently to come up with a facility program … to meet (an) occupancy date in early 2015."

The building was once the home of Reiman Publications, which published several magazines, before being sold to Reader's Digest in 2002. The facility will now be used as an administrative building for Goodwill.

Goodwill approached the Planning Commission in August to discuss moving its headquarters and training center to the Reader's Digest building from its current location at 5300 N. 118th Court in Milwaukee.

Jan. 16, 2014 12:35 p.m. | Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele and the County Parks Department announced today a recommendation for a new beer garden at Scout Lake Park in Greendale.

The Parks Department estimated the beer garden could produce significant revenue — $80,000 in 2014 and $100,000 in 2015 — if approved.

Under the proposal, ABC Estabrook, Inc., the company that runs the beer garden at Estabrook Park, would also run the Greendale beer garden, which would be located at Scout Lake's pavilion.

"Our ultimate goal is to create an environment that seamlessly integrates with the surrounding parkland, providing an opportunity for people from all walks of life to come together in an inclusive social setting," said Hans Wesigerber III, managing director of ABC Estabrook, Inc.

The proposed beer garden would offer a number of beer and wine options in addition to food and non-alcoholic drinks. The garden would operate daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and not serve alcohol past 9 p.m.

Jan. 15, 2014 2:21 p.m. | Oak Creek — Police are seeking a man who stole an Xbox gaming system and vandalized an Oak Creek resident's apartment Jan. 7 after responding to an ad the resident posted on craigslist.com.

According to the Oak Creek police report:

The victim told officers a black male about 19 years old came to his apartment in the 100 block of West Puetz Road about 6:15 p.m. Jan. 7 to pay for an Xbox videogame system the victim had advertised on craigslist.com a month earlier.

The buyer had been to the victim's residence about three or four times during the month after the ad was posted and had paid him a total of $20 toward the purchase of the Xbox.

When the buyer returned to the victim's residence the evening of Jan. 7, he told the victim he was going to take the Xbox to his car and would come back with the rest of the money he owed. When the victim disagreed with that plan, the would-be buyer grabbed the Xbox and fled.

The robbery occurred just after 11 a.m. Thursday at 1201 Marquette Ave. The man drew a gun, demanded money and, after receiving the cash, fled west on foot, possibly to a waiting vehicle, according to a police news release.

Anyone with information is asked Lt. Cary Fischer or Investigator Steve Hesse of the South Milwaukee Police Department at (414) 768-8060.

Jan. 07, 2014 4:30 p.m. | Oak Creek — A cab driver who decided to spend an afternoon at an Oak Creek hotel with an "old female friend" he picked up in Milwaukee called police after he woke up a few hours later and found his friend missing — along with his cab, his money and his cellphone — Dec. 22.

According to the Oak Creek police report:

The man told police he picked up an old female friend at an Open Pantry in Milwaukee and took her to a room at the Candlewood Suites, 6440 S. 13th St., about 12:45 p.m.

He told police he believed her name was "Nikki," but he didn't know her last name or any other information about her.

The investigating officer contacted an employee at Candlewood Suites, who confirmed that the two did check into the room about 12:47 p.m. The employee also told police she received a call from the female, who wanted to know if the hotel had any sex toys available for sale or rent.

Jan. 07, 2014 4:18 p.m. | Oak Creek — Firefighters and police responded to a house fire in the 10300 block of South Ashley Lane about 7:20 p.m. Dec. 28.

According to the Oak Creek police report:

The residents attempted to use fire extinguishers to put out the fire, which apparently started in a sunroom off the kitchen area of the home. However, the fire spread too quickly, and they had to evacuate the home.

The Oak Creek Fire Department received assistance from the Franklin, Cudahy, South Milwaukee, St. Francis and Caledonia fire departments, and the Red Cross assisted the residents with sleeping arrangements.

Damage to the home and personal belongings is estimated to be over $140,000.

Jan. 07, 2014 2:50 p.m. | Franklin — A 22-year-old Oak Creek man who refused to pay for two private dances at a night club was taken into custody after he became combative and began spitting on the arresting officers Monday.

According to the Franklin police report:

Officers responded to On The Border, 10741 S. 27th St., after an employee reported that a patron was refusing to pay for two private lap dances, valued at $70, about 12:30 a.m. Monday.

The man was so intoxicated he didn't remember receiving the lap dances. He originally offered to pay, but then changed his mind and became combative, resisted arrest and started spitting at police.

He was arrested for throwing/spitting bodily fluids at a police officer, resisting arrest and theft by fraud, and was taken to the county jail. He is scheduled to appear in the district attorney's office on Wednesday.

Jan. 07, 2014 9:00 a.m. | Worzella Lumber Co., in Franklin, has been sold to Zuern Building Products Inc., which took over that operation on Monday.

The transaction includes the 7.9-acre Worzella property, 9545 S. 80th St., which was sold for $1.4 million to Gen3 Ventures LLC, a Zuern affiliate, according to state real estate records. It is now the fourth location for Zuern, which also operates in Allenton, Cedarburg and Watertown.

The Franklin operation includes production, storage and showroom space, said Tom Zuern, Zuern Building Products vice president and sales manager. All of Worzella's employees were retained, he said.

Worzella Lumber moved to that site in 1996 from 5121 W. Ryan Road to make way for the expanding Franklin Business Park.

Jan. 03, 2014 6:14 p.m. | The Franklin School District is still considering whether or not to close its schools Monday, said Communications Coordinator Meghan Dade in an email Friday evening.

Several school districts across the Milwaukee area have already chosen to cancel class on Monday because of concerns regarding a wind chill warning issued by the National Weather Service.

According to www.weather.com, the expected high on Monday will be approximately 13 degrees below zero.

"We are monitoring the news and weather reports and will continue to coordinate with other suburban districts on their status," Dade wrote. "If schools were to be closed, all parents would be notified via phone and email. Other places to check for updates are our district website, Twitter and Facebook."

Jan. 03, 2014 5:48 p.m. | The Greendale School District announced that all public schools will be closed Monday due to dangerously low temperatures in the forecast, Communications Director Kitty Goyette said in an email.

Greendale is just one of several school districts across the Milwaukee area that has chosen to cancel class on Monday because of concerns regarding a wind chill warning issued by the National Weather Service.

According to www.weather.com, the expected high on Monday will be approximately 13 degrees below zero.

"We're getting the word out now," Goyette said, in regards to notifying parents.

Jan. 02, 2014 10:06 a.m. | The mother of a person charged in connection to the burglary of Dobie's Restaurant turned the trio of burglars in to Cudahy police.

According to the St. Francis police report:

A 27-year-old Eau Claire woman, and a 31-year-old woman and 25-year-old man, both residents of Augusta, Wis., have been charged with burglary of Dobie's Restaurant, 4136 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., between midnight and 2 a.m. Dec. 14.

The trio allegedly took two flat-screen television sets, valued at $500 apiece, and 20 bottles of liquor with a combined value of $400. The goods were taken to a home in Cudahy where the mother of the Eau Claire woman lives.

The Cudahy woman called Cudahy police saying she believed the property was stolen. The Augusta man and the Eau Claire woman, who told police they had worked at Dobie's several years ago, admitted the burglary Dec. 15.